Any comments would be appreciated. I am not going for the Arnold Swartz look...more like Brad pit in Troy and looking to put some mass on my ass..please help me find the best way to do that..I hate squats but will do them if I have too

Everyone can improve their - uh, assets. But unfortunately, having a really well-rounded one depends a lot on genetics.

Squats and deadlifts,as mentioned earlier, work the glutes well. So do Romanian and stiff-legged deadlifts. The personal trainers at my gym have their women clients doing walking lunges for their buns, but I've rarely seen men do them. But then again, the women are more concerned with losing rather than gaining.

I have heard that doing cardio before weights isnt a good idea before. Why is that? Is it a question of a persons energy level or are there other reasons? The cardio I plan to do before weight is a easy 15 minute treadmill at about 5-6 mph (more of a warmup).

I am a little soft/pudgy around the middle...no body fat on the lower body, very little on the arms but have a layer around my upper torso, looking to get rid of that and build muscle at the same time. I am 5-8 150 and dont want to lose any weight, in fact I would love to put on 10lbs of muscle and lose the pudge all at the same time. Is this possible? any supplements that can help?

I have found in the past that after weights I am spent and skip the cardio.

I have been doing squats for a while and thinking about lunges. Why do mostly women do lunges? Does it shape the ass like a womans ass should be shaped?

also, I have tried deadlifts and the day after I feel no soreness in my ass, but my lower back muscles are extremely sore. I dont have a problem with working out my back, but I have limited time and energy and want exercises that target the Glutes big time.

JWP, in most cases this might be correct. A hard cardio workout tends to sap your energy, leaving less for the weights. However, and I'm sure there wil be some disagreement here, it depends on your goals. If your main interest is getting stronger, or general fitness, I would go with this. If you main goal is to run a marathon, or half marathon, I'd concentrate on the cardio first.
Now,. what you are suggesting is fine, and almost a given. I like to do an easy stairstepper for 10-15 minutes, just to get the blod flowing. I don't even count it as cardio, per se. That seems to get me up, then I jump into an easy weight complex to elevate it, then jump into my scheduled workout.
Hey, if it works for you, then do it. There are no hard/fast rules.
Tim

I feel that warm-up sets are a better way go. You really need to do them anyway to get the muscles ready for a heavy load. They will also get the bood flowing. Either do a warm up or 2 before each exercise or just do a warm-up circuit before you begin. Just go from one exercise to another with light weight and no rest. Then start your routine.

Lunges are good, but I really prefer to do squats most of the time. Women do them because they are easier, not because they are better.

You don't have any hamstring work in your routine. Add some keystone deadlifts, or straight leg, or Romanian deadlifts. Those get the hamstrings and lower back and also the ass and abs to a point. Keep doing your squats of course. Then also add a couple sets of standard deadlifts. try using the sumo stance. This will not only be a great glute/hip exercise, but also work the inner thighs. This should help shape your hip and thigh area nicely.

After you build 10 pounds of muscle or so, restric carbs/calories and do a little cardio on non-lifting days. That will allow you to lose fat, which shoudl leave you with a nice shape. Then if you want to get bigger just go back to building muscle again.

For an example here is my typical hip/glute/thigh workout. This is most of what I do on Thursdays

85 to 90% of 1 rep max for 6 to 8 reps to failure. 3 to 4 minutes rest.

Or here is the strength version I have been working on lately. I have been using it for neural gains while loosing fat. It is working so far. It even makes me sore like a muscle building routine. Being able to lift more, will help when you return to muscle building.

Last point is the form of the deadlift. If it hits your lower back and not your glutes your form is off. Get your ass down and your back straight, no rounding. Don't do those half bent over deadlift mutations where you can't tell if someone is doing stiff leg or classic. Look at the deadlift link in the exercise directory. Also use 25 pound plates so the bar is lower. That will further target the lower body. For sumo it is the same way, just with the legs wide and feet pointed out like a sumo wrestler. You lift with your hands between your legs using a narrow grip. Form is everything. Without perfect form it is neither effective or safe.

Hi Stephen, You never cease to amaze me when it comes to the links you provide. Absolutely excellent.
Ironman, I agree with you about 95 %. Back in the day, we learned O lifting with a split, and that would be a lunge. We used to concentrate on these things. IMHO, they are anything but easy, with a decent load They also stretch and hit the hamstrings like no squat ever could. If you've ever tried to recover from a 300lb plus clean, in the split, you would respect them.
Tim

I like unilateral work like lunges or split squats as accessories to the compound lifts. One thing I like to do on my heavy lower body day is to start with squats or deadlifts by working up in weight until I reach the maximum weight for which I can still do five reps in good form. Then I'll follow that with a few sets of some type of unilateral work to help ensure that I keep everything balanced.

I like unilateral work like lunges or split squats as accessories to the compound lifts.

Along the same lines as Drew, I came across the Smith Single Leg Squat, and I did a few sets at the end of my leg/hip workout. It kills two birds with one stone - while one glute is working, the other is getting stretched.

Who is online

You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot post attachments in this forum